Thomas Varghese

I don't want to mount them very high up in the roof top as it may blind others in front of me. Moreover it may hit loose or low installations in the roof when I park the car in basements. If I mount it in the front of the front grille it may reduce air flow to the radiator. Moreover fixing in the front will require more stronger brackets as these lights are heavy and will start to vibrate if its mounted on a weak bracket. The only good thing about these lights are they cost me only 40 AED a piece (160 AED for all 4 lights) including the bulbs and wiring harness and I have used them before when young and I know they are super bright.

When all of you are pondering over where to fix the extra lights on their cars I'm confused where to mount these extra headlights on my XTERRA. Its huge. All 4 of them are arriving this Friday and I have not made up my mind where to fix them. They have 100/90 watt high beam/low beam and I'm pretty sure they will light up the night like the sun. I don't even know if the stock alternator can cope with such high amperage.

I confirm @Ale Vallecchi. Thanks for considering me and adding.

Totally understood @Ale Vallecchi. I got confused with the new guidelines posted by @Frederic. Once he has added that single line there is no confusion as of now. Please stick to the number of cars you feel comfortable with. After all we are here to have fun and learn from the Lead Marshals.

Thank you @Frederic for your clarification and adding the additional line to your guidelines. This clears all doubt.

RSVP Limitation Every drive we organize has a limited RSVP signup. Absolute Newbie and Newbie Level Drives: 12 members, 1 drive lead, and supported by 1-2 senior members. Fewbie, Fewbie Plus, and Intermediate Drives: 10 members, 1 drive lead, and supported by 1-2 senior members. RSVP etiquette and closing times Signing up for a drive means you take up a spot on the list, so if you cannot make it, please withdraw your RSVP in time (+ 24 hours prior to the drive), so others can take up your spot. The RSVP usually closes a day in advance of the drive, so the drive lead can prepare the convoy list. If the RSVP is full and you wish to join this drive, please mention your name on the drive thread with the request to be added to the waiting list. Members who have not RSVP'd for the event will not be accepted. Latecomers will not be accepted. Repeated no-show members will have their account suspended for a month. Within the waitlist, preference will always be given to members who are wait listing for their first drive of the weekend. Only when this list is exhausted, we can add members that waitlisted for their second drive. Dear @Ale Vallecchi as per new guide lines published by @Frederic a fewbie plus drive can have 10 members, 1 drive lead, and supported by 1-2 senior members but this drive has only 8 members and RSVP limit is reached. Does this mean, me and @Ali Abas who are waitlisted 1 & 2 will also be included or we have have to wait until someone drops out?

same condition here.

The drive today - No words to describe it. Total Intermediate fun. My passenger who wanted to see a desert drive has already started looking for a capable 4x4 to join carnity. He is crying he didn't use his earlier pathfinders like this. Infact he said he never turned the 4H switch even once in his Pathfinders and regrets he has a new Ford Explorer.

I fixed the overheating & misfiring issues already. Sometimes its better to leave the finer details of the car with an experienced mechanic. Last time I replaced the spark plugs I asked the mechanic to advance the timing under the impression it will enhance the power when the car is climbing uphill. 😅. Stupid advice. Now I got the timing reset to original position and the misfiring is gone. Hopefully the car won't overheat now.

Dear @Ale Vallecchi RSVP calendar is not to be seen. ok now i see the calander but RSVP limit reached. Please waitlist me.

No Calendar till now

Had great fun today. Thank you @Anish S, @Jeepie & @William Fernandes. I always like short convoys.

@William Fernandes Sunrise & Sunset in the desert is a treat for the eyes. No photography can capture the full color gamut of these 2 events.

Sunrise at Al Qudra

@ARAGON you can be assured you are guided by one of the most experienced marshals of carnity during this drive. I liked the way you commented on panicking at 45 degree angle. Wait a little more and you will see all the angles your car can negotiate. I hope you have fixed the skid plates in the front, if not fix them as early as possible. The number of nose hits your car will take will not be pleasant for your car and eventually your wallet. Money & time doesn't matter as you are already bitten by the desert bug. How many meetings I have postponed or preponed or even cancelled to attend a drive God knows. Today being Thursday afternoon I already visited the garage to check the car under an OBD scanner for all fault codes if any, cleaned the air filter, checked the fluids and made sure my car is ready for tomorrow's drive even before I arrived at my office. All this because I have 2 drives this weekend. Please do this for your car too so that nobody is held up due to a mechanical fault during the drive. Its very important. Recovering a car from the middle of a desert is no easy task.

Thank you @Jeepie. I will be there.

😃 Same was with me too. I heard this technical dune word so many times I was wondering what are these people talking about. As it is all dune tackling demands so many technical aspects. You have to have proper momentum, proper approach angle, proper exit point all worked out even before you start climbing the dune. Now as Richard @Wrangeld & @Ale Vallecchi has defined them and is very clear even though I had almost figured out the meaning of that word from the many drives I have done. Yes negotiating a cluster of small dunes need your whole attention as much as climbing a very high dune as its very usual to get an inexperienced driver to get stuck in those tight pockets these small dunes pose. Climbing a high dune also is technical. If you don't have the proper momentum and steering control we will start to fight gravity resulting in the rear end of the car swaying in all directions which is called fish tailing. That is not good. The end result is you will have a roll over. In the desert sands you cannot have 1 moment of distraction which I found out painfully when my glove box popped open spilling out all the contents inside taking my attention away from the tracks ahead and losing momentum and steering control which ended in me losing tracks and I ended up at the wrong side of the dune. After the incident @Ale Vallecchireprimanded for losing my attention. @ARAGON please note whatever happens inside the car during these moments it shouldn't distract you from the drive. I love to be driving with all the marshals because each one gives you a different lesson. I was waitlisted for this drive but withdrew as I understood no one is going to drop out and I will get a chance. Will see you soon in the sands. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL.

Thank you @Ale Vallecchi

I joined another drive same time. You can exclude me from the wait list

@Chaitanya D thanks for your feedback. Looking forward to drive with you more and more.